Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:25:30 — 78.7MB)
What’s In A Core?, Dark Mystery Galaxy?, Dark Matter Heart?, Not-So Bloody Past, Bloody Pests, Gator Blood, Cuddly Crocs, Cat Boxes, Human Cockroaches, Smoking Gun, Meditate On It, Sleep On It, Driving Stoned, Child Bee Labor, Rocktopus, Mr. Right Now, And Much More…
Disclaimer Disclaiemr Disclaimer
I shot an arrow into the air
It fell to earth I knew not where
For so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight
The words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
over a hundred years ago…
Today,
a 22-story tall rocket shot into the air from Cape Canaveral…
The Falcon
9 sending supplies and late Christmas gifts to the International Space station
As well
as the deploying the Deep Space Climate Observatory, DSCOVR
Which, amongst other things, will be
taking Earth selfies every few hours…
While this mission alone is an impressive
feat carried out by private company SpaceX
Another major portion of their mission
had to be abandoned…
They intended to catch the arrow when
it landed, the first stage booster rockets anyhow… paving the way for cheaper
launches in the future
Three story waves on the landing
platform prevented that from happening this time
But there has never been a sea rough
enough to stop…
This week in science
Coming up next
What’s In A Core?
Using seismic waves travelling through the Earth, Chinese scientists have discovered that the core of the Earth has an inner core. Now we have to differentiate between the outer-inner core and the inner-inner core to determine the history of our planet.
Dark Mystery Galaxy?
The discovery of four cepheid variables, or large, pulsating stars along the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy has allowed a team of researchers to confirm that our galaxy is orbited by a dwarf dark matter galaxy.
Dark Matter Heart?
Modeling the motion of the gas and stars in the Milky Way, it has been confirmed that dark matter must make up a large portion of the inner galaxy.
Not-so bloody past – Evolution
Viral evidence suggests we didn’t follow a particularly bloody evolutionary path.
Bloody pests don’t like parasites
Mosquitoes put up an immune response after feeding on blood.
Crocs just wanna cuddle and play!
For the first time, cros have shown to exhibit all three types of “play” categorized and defined in the animal kingdom. Play is often associated with intelligence (or so I keep telling my boss…).
I CAN HAZ BOX?!
Cats have been proven to exhibit less stress when provided a box. Not just a hiding place, but also a vantage point and an aid in body temperature regulation. So, that is why your cat is so darn encourageable around packing materials!
Cockroaches have personality… Awwww!
Cockroaches exhibit different personalities and strategies in laboratory scenarios – some flee when the lights get switched on, others linger, and they even alter their tactic when in a group. See? They are adorable!
Get a free audiobook at Audible.com!
Support us on Patreon!
Smoking Gun
Smoking is bad for your brain.
Meditate On It
But, meditation is good!
Then Sleep On It
And, no one is debating the benefits of a good nap.
Driving stoned
It’s better than being drunk… maybe.
Child Bee Labor
Young bees forced to work might compound the damages of colony collapse disorder.
Rocket Octopus
A robotic underwater rocket balloon has been developed based on the propulsion of octopuses.
You might be better off with “Mr. Right Now.”
Says evolution…
Smiley from space
Scientists say it is a galaxy cluster, but I choose to believe it is actually the universe smiling at me. Right back at ya, buddy!
Don’t forget what it shows us!
Massive gravitational lensing.
If You love TWIS, please consider making a donation below.
Don’t forget to tell a friend about TWIS, and to check out our Patreon page!
I'm the host of this little science show. 
Loved the show as always. Little tidbits on a couple of the news stories:
Dark Matter: it’s not purely abstract, in the sense of a mere mathematical fudge. We can actually see it quite vividly via the gravitational lensing it causes. Many gravitational lens effects are clearly caused by galaxies or clusters (like the smiley face) but there are other massive lens effects seen which have no visible source, and these are believed to be the locations of Dark Matter clusters.
Cats in boxes: It’d be interesting to study the minimum size of what qualifies as a “box.” For instance, our cat loves to sit in a shallow wooden tray, like the kind you’d use to carry food to the table. It’s rectangular, with sides that are only about 1 1/2 inches high. She treats this with the same affection for play and resting comfort that she does with a cardboard box. So even though the tray hardly provides the same level of protection as a box (for hiding, etc), she seems to treat it equally. Perhaps even though it doesn’t really meet the requirements of a jungle hideout, it’s close enough to the shape that it triggers the same feelings?
PS: I got my TWIS t-shirt from Zazzle today. Love it, and the show!